


Reflection of the Crystal

by HowlingScrawler



Category: Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart (Cartoon)
Genre: Art, Digital Art, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Magic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Rating May Change, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:33:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23037139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HowlingScrawler/pseuds/HowlingScrawler
Summary: A young canine woman awakens in the field not too far from Farmer Bun's farm and has a somewhat vague memory of where she is and of Pure Heart Valley. With her ability to use magic, She will be Pure Heart's newest sheriff in training and taken in under Sheriff Mao Mao's wing. But he and the others will eventually come to understand that she has links to the Valley.And most of those links aren't necessarily good...
Relationships: Mao Mao Mao/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 16





	Reflection of the Crystal

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so!  
> I decided to give this story thing another shot. This time around, It'll be using my OC as one of the main characters. I wasn't really sure if I wanted to do this, but after creating her, I just had to make a story around her and I hope you all enjoy the character as much as I did creating her.

Mao Mao: Heroes of Pureheart -

Reflections of the Crystal

Hero Code #1: Of Magic and Farm fields

Crouched into a fighting stance, with one arm raised and the other tucked by his side, Mao Mao stared down the charging beast with the amount of power he had been storing away for years, all for this single moment now that he could see the real him without his family's crippling shadow lingering over him. “I'm a hero... **and**... I EAT... COBBLER!!!”

Concentrating all of his energy into a single fist, just as the rampaging beast was within reach about to gore him, Mao Mao threw a single punch forward, unleashing all that he had into a blast of golden energy that completely engulfed the boar and more.

Stunned by the radiance of the attack, Badgerclops and Adorabat protected their eyes from the harsh light. The bat donned a pair of shades while the badger wore some aviators. To spare Farmer bun possible blindness, Badgerclops pulled his hat over his eyes.

The attack continued until the light died down and there stood Mao Mao; back to normal and his golden form gone while the boar was completely singed all over, its fur was gone and it simply rolled over in defeat with a resounding “Thud”. In its final act, it belched and out came Mao Mao's Hero's Code, landing at his feet. Glad at its return, he picked it up just in time for Adorabat to fly over, landing squarely on his head.

“Mao Mao! That was incredible!!” she squeals, having witnessed another awesome feat from her mentor.

“Dude, can't you just do that from now on? I don't wanna have to do anything anymore.” Badgerclops pointed out, a bit disappointed at the ability that Mao Mao had kept hidden away.

“No, Badgerclops,” Mao Mao replied, shaking his head after Adorabat flew off of him. “ You see, that was a concentration of years of repressed desire. But that doesn't matter, I was so caught up in the details of my family's code, I forgot the first rule of being a hero:” placing his hand on the cobbled coated cover of the Hero's Code, Mao Mao only smiled in remembrance what was most important. “ _Be true to yourself_ ,”

Turning his glove over to see the remains of cobbler on his glove, he shook it away and stashed the code back into his belt. Walking over to a struggling farmer, trying to push away the defeated Monster, Mao Mao had a satisfied look on his face as he did. “I think I'll take the cobbler now, Farmer Bun.”

“Ha, sure! Go ahead! You've ruined my livelihood, you might as well take what little is left!” the little rabbit exasperated at what the sheriff just said.

“Thank you, friend.”

The farmer felt his eye squint as he looked directly into Mao Mao's smug face. Whatever irritation he had been feeling, just magnified a good deal at the reply, shocked at his callowness. “...I hate you.”

The sudden declaration caught Mao Mao off guard, swatting away his content smile. Hated seemed like a bit much, didn't it? Sure, he knew that he caused damage to the farm, cost him his cobbler stash and ruined Farmer bun's property. But wasn't that going a bit too far?

“Hate?” Mao Mao repeated, a bit of a shock behind a short chuckle. “I mean, I might've caused some... minor collateral damages in the process in stopping that monster, but surely the hatred isn't needed... right?”

“Oh, it's very much needed, Sheriff,” Farmer Bun retorted, hopping into Mao Mao's personal space, not having any of his nonsense. “Not only did you lie to my face about my cobbler being stolen, but you assaulted me and helped yourself to the cobbler I was saving to be sold back in town. Didn't think the monster would come back and make things worse, but that's beside the point! Now I have no cobbler and my farm is ruined!!”

Mao Mao was surprised at the fuming bunny's reaction but the overwhelming feeling of shame hung over him and was palpable, to point where he really couldn't reply. All he could do was hang his head low and let his ears flatten against his head.

“He's got you dead to rights, Mao. No sob storying your way out of this one.” Badgerclops pointed out, walking over to both humbled feline and foot thumping bunny.

“I mean, Mao Mao did do all of those things, but he stopped the monster from making it worse. Doesn't that count for something?” Adorabat tried to defend her idol, but he wasn't having any of that.

“No, Adorabat. Both Badgerclops and Farmer Bun are right. I am deserving of his ire after what I did. And a hero always takes responsibility for his actions, good or bad.”

“Darn tootin' you are, Sheriff.”

Letting out a breath of defeat and internalizing the results of his actions. Mao Mao knew that there was one way to get back on Farmer Bun's good side and hopefully have more of the bunny's cobbler in the future. “Farmer Bun, I owe you an apology. I let my desires get in the way of rational thinking and acted rashly.

“I reckon you did,”

“And for that, I'm sorry.” Mao Mao admitted. Farmer Bun was a bit surprised by this and saw that he was off to a good start, but a mere apology wasn't going to cut it, nor do away the damages.

“That's all well and good, Sheriff. But I'm afraid a simple 'I'm sorry' isn't going to undo what's been done.”

“I understand, Farmer Bun. Is there anything I can do to fix this? Anything at all?” Mao Mao asked, figuring that it was the least he could do for him. Farmer Bun could see that the sheriff was serious about this and a knowing look came onto his face as he thought of just the thing that would work.

“Actually sheriff, I have just the thing that you can do to make it up to me.”

Mao Mao's ears perked at the mention of the idea. He honestly expected the farmer to kick him out of his farm and forbid him from ever coming back. He was quick to ask him what needed to be done. Whatever it was, he'd do it. “Alright, what do you need me to do? I'll make sure to have it completed.

“Looks like we have an understandin', perfect. I hope you're done patrolling because, for the next few hours, I want you to help out with some chores that need doing.” the farmer stated as Mao Mao nodded.

“A couple of chores around the farm? Ha! That'll be easy! I'll have them done in no time. What do you need me to do? Re-tiling a roof? Paint the barn? Mow the grass? Churn and fertilize the soil? Hack and slash some weeds?” Mao Mao guessed as to what needed to be done, but farmer bun only chuckled in response.

“Now now, sheriff, you gotta walk before you can run. But I thank you for offering in advance. Also, it's nothing too crazy like that. What I need from you is to help around the barn, we're going to repair the doors and walls.”

“Repair work sounds simple enough. So long as you have the materials, we can have done before the sun goes down. You do have materials, don't you Farmer Bun?”

“When you deal with Monsters invading the town, you learn to be prepared for any possible moment. But don't you worry about that. What's more, thanks to this beast eating all of the cobbler, I'm going to need help with making more in time for the stores' restocking. Badgerclops, Adorabat, will you both be willing to help me?”

“We would be happy to help, Farmer Bun! With my help and Badgerclop's tech, we'll have double of what you had before.” Adorabat pointed, eager to get started.

“Normally I hate doing anything after fighting a monster and prefer to chill, but since it's cobbler we're talking about,” A series of cooking utensils sprung out from his robotic arm, ready for use. “I'm willing to make an exception.”

“Glad to have you aboard, now let's get to work. Sheriff, I'll walk you through the steps to get that barn fixed.” Farmer Bun stated as he hopped past him.

“But shouldn't we do something about the Monster?” Adorabat point out, a look of concern on her face.

“Don't you worry about him. It'll take longer to deal with than the chores. We'll deal with it once we're done. Come on now, we're burning daylight.”

“I dunno...”

“Now, now Adorabat. Everything will be fine. The sooner we get work done, the sooner we can deal with the monster. It's not going anyway any time soon,” Mao Mao followed up, walking alongside the farmer.

Not seeing a reason to argue or put off their assigned position, Adorabat followed behind as the four of them broke off into two teams with her and Badgerclops handling the cobbler while Mao Mao and Farmer Bun dealt with the barn. She still had her doubts, but her mentor said that it was fine, then she'd abide by his word. Still, she couldn't help that something was bound to go wrong.

* * *

Feeling the light bat against her eyes, upon opening them, the first thing she saw was the wide-open blue skies, with fluffy clouds floating on by. Squinting from the rays, she picked herself up, sitting in the center of the field. The young female looked from side to side; scanning her surroundings as she stood to full height. Stretching and allowing herself to relax, she took the first step forward, still feeling slightly... off as she did.

“Ugh, what a horrible dream...” was the first thing she muttered to herself while continuing to walk. “Seemed more like a nightmare, in fact. At least it's over now.”

The female continued walking, taking in the sights as she did which felt... alien, somewhat. The land was the same; like the flowers and the trees for starters and yet, there was a variety of things that were new. When her eyes fell on the barn, she halted to get a better look at it.

“huh? Was that barn always there?” she searched her memory for any instance of such a thing, but nothing was turning up. Rather than strain herself with trying to force it, she decided to leave it be. Her attention was pulled skyward and it fell on the Ruby Pure heart. A wave of familiarity rushed over her and she felt calm.

“You're still there, as tall and imposing as ever, aren't you?” A small smile appeared on her face. Even though she did, she just couldn't shake the feeling of something being... different. She didn't know why or how to explain it, but the more she looked at the Pure Heart, something was nagging at her from the back of her mind.

Like it was telling her to investigate.

“It's probably my imagination, but I think I'll go check it out, just to be sure.” was her reply.

Taking another step forward with her attention on the heart, the sound of a heavy footfall hitting the ground pulled her focus from it and towards the sound. Her eyes fell from the heart and were now directed towards a beast that was walking its way towards her. It had purple eyes with a large and intimidating frame. Snorts could be heard the closer it got and the female before it could only gasp in horror.

'Wait... a Monster?! What the hell is it doing inside the Valley?! HOW did it get in the Valley? HOW??'

Those were her main thought, trying to process this all at once, but the longer she did that while the monster closed in on her, something... clicked in her mind. Like a switch had been flipped that altered her demeanor and she had no idea how or why it happened. It just did, without a word or her knowledge.

The effect was immediate. There was no apprehension, no reservation, no fear. Nothing at all. The only thing that **was** there: was a cold, simple, unfeeling directive that repeated itself, taking over everything within her mind.

**'KILL IT.'**

The vibrancy in her eyes had faded away, turning the bright pale blue into a more darker, sinister shade of the same hue as the pupils contrasted. Her posture tightened as her paws flex in preparation while the claws extended from her digits.

She did as was directed, now that the Monster was close enough. Refusing to allow this **thing** to live any longer, she took a step and as expected, the beast began its charge, heading directly her way.

Responding in kind, the unknown female reciprocated it's action and did the same only with the sudden flash of light that appeared behind her.

* * *

A few hours had past and the barn was looking as good as new. Thanks to Badgerclops's tech and Adorabat's quick flight maneuvers, they were easily able to get the cobbler made and prepared rather early. Which was a boon on all their parts. They also helped Mao Mao and Farmer Bun with the repairs making the effort go by even faster. They were putting the finishing touches on the door and just like that, they were done. Mao Mao let out a breath as he planted himself on the ground, glad that they were done, but his pride wouldn't allow him to say that.

“See? Just like I said, Farmer Bun. We'd have this done within a couple of hours top.” Mao Mao boasted, but it did little hide his heavy breathing.

“I say, Sheriff, you made good on your word. The barn is done and the cobbler is ready to be shipped out to market. I'd like to thank ya'll for your hard work.” announced the farmer, but Mao Mao wasn't having any of it, still feeling guilty after what he did earlier.

“No need Farmer Bun, we of the sheriff's department are thankful, but our dedication and service are more than enough of a reward.” Mao Mao replied, speaking on their behalf.

“Speak for yourself, man!” Badgerclops was clearly not happy about getting a reward after all this. “I got things to do back home and I invested a whole 4 hours in this! The least we could do is be compensated.”

“We're heroes, Badgerclops! And heroes don't take rewards, the only thing we do take is appreciation and applause.” Mao Mao argued as he refused to budge on this. “Besides, it says so in the Hero's Code; Chapter 10 page 92, section 45 and subsection 3: 'Heroes don't accept materialistic rewards or gains under any circumstances'.”

Badgerclops only rolled his eye at how annoying his friend was being this time around, clearly knowing what this was about, but didn't give two crumbs of a cobbler about it though.

“Psh, demma your rules.”

“Demma good rule though.”

“I want my hard work to be rewarded, Mao.”

“And I said no.”

Both of them continued to glare at each other, growls could be heard as an intense stare-down continued on. Farmer bun and Adorabat could see that this was going to lead in an argument between the two and the last thing they wanted was for the barn to be destroyed... again. Farmer bun was the first to try and mediate things between them whereas Adorabat decided to let the two of them work it out and flew outside.

To her surprise and expectation, the monster that Mao Mao defeated before was now gone, vanished but left a trace and was still here in the Valley. This set off alarm bells in her head and she flew back inside to warn them about the threat still about.

“Mao Mao! Badgerclops! The Monster is-” She couldn't get a word in as the two guys were still arguing and Farmer Bun was still trying to calm them down.

“Oh, this is SO like you, man! Why can't you just accept someone's generosity for once? You already broke your hero's code or whatever, so what's stopping you?” shouted the badger, annoyed with Mao Mao's rigid conformity to not accept anything.

“We. Are. HEROES, Badgerclops! If we do things solely in hopes of getting a reward, even once, then we're no better than simple, filthy mercenaries! Sellswords! And I, for one, will NOT have my honor stained with such a blight, let alone have Adorabat become that.” Was Mao Mao's reply, a rather heated response.

“You guys-”

“Man, you're overreacting! Again! I doubt accepting ONE reward is going to corrupt Adorabat's view of being a hero!

“It only takes ONE! And I'm not taking any chances! Just look at you! I have to bribe you with doughnuts and things to get you in gear! The least you can do is just-

“GUYS!!!” Shouted Adorabat, forcing the two of them to stop their arguing and focus completely on her.

“What is it Adorabat?!” Mao Mao and Badgerclops stated at the same time, annoyed looks on their faces from being interrupted.

“The Monster's gone!!”

“What?!”

All four of them ran out of the barn and true were her words, the boar monster was nowhere to be seen. There was a collected groan from everyone there but Mao Mao was the only baring his teeth in frustration as it was one thing after another today. Being is active self, he began scanning around the area in search of the beast.

“There's no way it could still be alive, not after the blast Mao Mao gave it.” Badgerclops pointed out as he aided in the searching.

“I told you we should've finished it off! Now it's gone somewhere and who knows what damage it could've done by now!”

“Calm down Adorabat. I doubt it could've gotten far. If anything, it'd leave a trail and we'll find it in no time,” Mao Mao replied as he regrouped with the rest of them. “Now if I were a giant monster and the cobbler was all gone, where would I go?”

Just as he pitched the question, there was a loud thundering sound that came from behind the barn. It easily captured the attention of them and they rushed around to investigate. To their surprise, the boar monster was indeed still alive, even after the beating it took.

“Looks like we found our Monster. Time to finish the job!” Mao Mao announced as he drew his sword from the sheath, preparing to charge in.

“I'm surprised that it's still kicking, even though it took a blast to the face.” Was Badgerclops' reply as he tapped on his robo-arm, putting in some calculations and ratios.

“Farmer Bun, you'd best head back. We'll take care of this... thoroughly, this time! Badgerclops, got that blaster ready?”

“330% ready, baby. Let's blast it to next week!”

“Adorabat, got those smoke-bombs prepared?”

“Yep! All set and...”

“Uh, guys...” Badgerclops interrupted, cutting off Adorabat to gain their attention. “I just did a quick scan while setting up and it seems like that our monster buddy isn't alone...”

“What?! Is there another one those beasts? This one already gave us trouble!” Mao Mao replied, scanning the area, but not finding anything that could resemble a monster, only seeing the one from before, rampaging about the field. “Are you sure, Badgerclops? I only see the monster that we fought before. You sure that scanner is working right?”

“Are you doubting my tech?” Badgerclops responded, feeling insulted. “The nerve of you. My tech is never wrong and besides, I said the monster wasn't alone, I never said it was another monster. In fact, I'm picking up a signature beside the monster, Mao. It's much smaller, but...”

“but what?” was the first that Mao Mao said, wanting to know more.

Badgerclops did another scan and this time, it was more of a shock to him as he got back some results. “I'm also getting some crazy energy readings... and they're not coming from the monster...”

The answer came as a shock to both of them and Mao Mao was about to ask what he meant by that, only to be stopped as a figure landed in his peripheral vision. Turning fully to see who it was, he was unable to see what species it was, all that he was able to make out was that the figure was wearing blue, lots and lots of blue.

From a light-blue half skirt to a mini jacket and hood of the same color along with dark blue leg-wraps and sleeves, Mao Mao was able to gauge that the figure fighting the boar was rather agile and acrobatic, doing dodges and perfectly margined flips in attempts to reposition and get better ground on the beast.

'So, in spite of going up against a larger opponent this guy knows how to position himself on short notice and turn that into an advantage... interesting.' Mao Mao analyzed, rather impressed with whoever this was. 'Might even make a good addition to the team...'

“Uh, Mao, we just gonna leave the guy to face this monster by himself or we gonna help out?” Badgerclops pointed out, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Of course we are! We'd be lousy sheriffs if we did, leaving someone to fend for themselves,” On that note, he drew Geraldine; his trusted weapon since his childhood, and pointed it at the beast. “Come on y'all. We got a monster to finish off!”

* * *

By now, the female was starting to feel weary. Thanks to all the dodging and close calls of being hit, she was nearing her limits and the fact that this beast was still alive, irked her to no end. Like hell, she was going to let this thing win. She kept on her guard, watching it intently while trying to predict its next move. The directive in her mind had yet to fade, but with how fast it would charge, she wasn't given much time to do much of anything but dodge.

“Damn this thing, it just keeps charging and all I can do is just dodge! I can't even cast a basic level incantation!” she noticed that the beast scrape its hoof and was preparing to charge again. The female could only grit her teeth and went to a stance, getting ready to dodge again. “One incantation. Just one, that's all I need and this thing will be gone, but how?”

Her answer came in the form of an energy blast, knocking the monster back a couple of feet, stunning it in the process. She whipped around to see where it came from and to her shock, there where three individuals that were rushing over here. At first, she thought they were ordinary residents of the Pureheart Valley, but thanks to keen eyes, they were anything but ordinary. From what she saw, they were

A badger with an eye-patch and a rather... strange, shining looking arm.

A little blue bat with a yellow heart on the chest with a leg to match.

And a green-eyed black cat donned in some red samurai armor, a cape that matched in color and... a golden katana...

Her mind went blank as she focused solely on him, briefly forgetting her objective and the monster entirely. She was only snapped out of her stupor when the three of them arrived next to her, the warrior cat is the first to address her presence.

“Hey, you're not too bad of a fighter. Saw you up against this beast and thought you could use some help.” Mao Mao pointed out, his focus on the target. “Didn't think there were any other Sweetie Pies that could fight beside Farmer Bun.”

'Sweetie Pies? What in the world is a sweetie pie?' She thought to herself, finding the term foreign.

“We can talk more after, Mao. Let's just finish this thing so we can go home. I got shows to watch and food to eat!” Badgerclops pointed out, firing several volleys of blasts from his arm, keeping the boar in place while moving to a better spot.

“You got it! We can talk after this. Hold on... Adorabat, give us some crowd control!” Mao Mao ordered, watching the little bat zip into the fray, smoke-bombs in hand.

“Okay, Mao Mao! Take this, Monster filth!” she screeched, lobbing bomb after bomb while taking the chance to find a new position.

'His name is Mao Mao? Then why did he...' she thought, but it was interrupted by his voice.

“Excellent work team! Now it's my turn.” Mao Mao turned to face her, a confident smirk that made her blush lightly. “I noticed you have some kind of weapon on you, but you weren't able to use it. Think that you can now that you got some backup?”

This came as a shock, but the task she started had come back. With a firm nod and stern expression, she brought the glowing ring in front of her and went into a stance. “I can, but it'll be a long one. I just need an opening to take care of this monster, that's all I need. I'll give you a signal”

“Leave that to us and do what you need to.” with that, Mao Mao rushed the monster along with his team doing his part to keep it busy.

It was here that she could now deal with the beast without worry or interruption. Letting out a breath and going into an intense focus, she began channeling what power she could into a single point, waiting on his signal, but in the meantime, she began a chant while keeping an eye on the boar, already knowing which one would be the most effective. “Right... here goes,”

Extending her paws and making an array of movements and gestures, she played her part among the four of them.

“O' simple flickers of Life, O' burning representation of the Soul, converge thy meager flames into a contemptible conflagration to bring about vindictive damnation and burn away the malignant mistake of creation within your fiery grasp...”

* * *

“Huh, what the-?” the sound of beeping on his metal arm pulled his attention from the monster and he pulled up a holographic screen. Just like before, there was another spike in power that was a cause for concern. “Again? Hey Mao!”

“A little busy here, Badgerclops!” Mao Mao replied, parrying a strike from the beast's tusk and throwing in a few slashes and slices in retaliation.

“I know, but I'm getting that crazy reading again!”

“Now?! Of all the times to- Where's it coming from?!”

“It's coming from...” he zoomed in on the signature and after reading the numbers, his eye just about nearly jumped out of his head. “right behind us?!”

Badgerclop's reply instantly put him on edge. He had a hunch as to where it was. For a split second, Mao Mao and Badgerclops turned to see that an assortment of glowing glyphs and spell marks were hovering around the canine.

“Wreath and Bind, Snare and Burn. Let the harshest fires constrict the limb and leave thy being subjected to searing whim...”

“It seems our fellow fighter knows magic,” Mao Mao stated, rather calmly in fact.

“Magic? Does she know magic?? Wait, magic is real?! That's crazy OP! How come we're helping if she can do that?” Badgerclops went back to firing blasts at the Monster, keeping it in place as Adorabat soared overhead keeping an eye out for an opening.

“More than likely the monster wasn't giving her a chance to use it, you saw how she was jumping and dodging.” Mao Mao replied while keeping an eye on her.

“Guess that would explain the crazy power-spike from before!”

“I think she's almost done, Keep it busy! Badgerclops, adjust your positioning, Adorabat, draw it's attention to Badgerclops, we need to keep it focused on us!” Mao Mao jumped into the fray with an array of slices, doing whatever it took to keep it focused.

“...that you may never walk this plane again and May the flames of the nonyielding Damned embrace you forevermore!” It took a while, but the Spell was now prepared and ready to be unleashed and not a moment too soon either. The beast's attention was lost, the little bat's methods no longer worked and the badger was now knocked away, but not without a few more shots hitting the mark. It stopped and was now staring down Mao Mao.

The time to act was now.

“Guys, the spell's done! Move out of the way if you don't wanna get caught up in it!” She shouted to all of them. That was the cue they were looking for and they shared the same idea. Mao Mao was the first one to get clear, but not without alerting the rest of them. The last thing he wanted was for them to end up caught in the middle.

“Adorabat! Badgerclops! Get clear!!”

“Don't have to tell me twice!” Was Badgerclops' reply as he fired a blast into the ground, launching himself a good distance.

“Bye-bye Monster guy!” Adorabat taunted the monster while flying away, giggling as usual as she flew over to Mao Mao, landing on his shoulder, getting ready to watch the show.

“Show's yours, uh... Spellcaster! Let'em have it!!”

With the all-clear, the canine extended her paws outward and on command, a glowing red glyph appeared beneath the boar monster, tracking it's every movement. It turned it's attention back to her and began to charge without warning, but it was too late. She was given all the time needed and unleashed everything she had.

“And now for the setup... Pyre Palisade!!!” On command, the glyph tracking the monster began to glow brighter and brighter; almost blinding. As soon as she uttered the words, a flash followed and an intense heat could be felt by all of them.

It didn't take long for Mao Mao and his team to see and feel that the monster was now entrapped inside fiery, constantly charging the walls, only to be forced back by flames upon touch. The trio were all amazed by what they were seeing. It didn't cross their minds that could possibly exist, yet here they were, observing the spectral.

“Huh, so magic is real. Didn't think I'd see anything like this here in the Valley.” was Badgerclops' reply, still taken aback by all of this.

“Well, we did bear witness to Adorabat's magic show, but there was no... this during her act.” Mao Mao pointed at the fiery cage.

“True, most of it was card tricks and items, but a flaming cage to hold a monster? Now I've seen everything. But it seems the monster is taken care of for the most part.

“Looks like it. And with it properly secured, all we need to do is find a way to dispose of it. That being said,” He turned his attention to the canine who still had her eye on the beast, the intense look from before never leaving. “I don't know who you are, but you're did well. I like what I saw out here today.”

The compliment was enough to shift her focus on to him and again, that warm feeling came back, but this time, a flash ran across her eyes and what followed was a darkened silhouette surrounded entirely white. There was no way to distinguish who it was, but the only thing that stood out was a bright toothy grin. It went by fast enough before returning back to Mao Mao, a look of concern on his face while waving his glove to get her attention.

“Hey, you okay? You kinda spaced out for a second.” Mao Mao pointed out.

“Hm? Oh! Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm alright. Just thought I saw something familiar, that's all.” was her reply while taking a set back.

“That's good to hear. I know I'm legendary and all, but don't go passing out on us, alright? Speaking of which, I didn't get the chance to properly introduce myself or my team. Name's Mao Mao; Legendary sheriff and protector of Pureheart Valley. Allow me to introduce my friends and fellow deputies. Starting with the big guy right here,”

Badgerclops stepped up to them and offered a simple wave, nothing about him really stood out aside from the arm and eyepatch, but beyond that, he was pretty normal. “Meet Badgerclops. My best friend and Co-hero. Don't let his large size scare you. What you see is what you get. Basically, he's a big ol' softie.”

“Ugh, the nerve of you. I can speak for myself, dude. But yeah. It's just like the angry little cat man said.”

“HEY!!

“Name's Badgerclops, nice to meet ya.” He stated with a friendly smile.

“Likewise. Nice to meet you too, Badgerclops, but what about the little blue bat? I'm guessing her name is Adorabat?” the female replied while pointing toward her, watching as she would fly around the caged monster, observing the fire.

“You'd be correct. Speaking of which- Adorabat!” the energetic little bat focused her attention on Mao Mao, coming when she was called. “Come down here and introduce yourself!”

“Okay, Mao Mao!”

In a matter of seconds, the bat zipped down and was now hovering within the canine's personal space, not that she minded. It did amaze her how quickly she went from battle focused to the headspace of a child. Not only that, but she was fast too.

“As I was saying before, This here is Adorabat; only 5 years old and already a deputy and warrior in training. Don't let her size and age fool you. She's taken on foes 5 times her size.

“I'm an adorable force to be reckoned with, no monster is a match for me!” She stated confidently. The canine could only chuckle at the boastful reply. It had been only 5 minutes and already, she had taken a shine to the little bat.

“and she's brave too. It's nice meeting you, Adroabat.”

“Me too! I saw that you can use magic! Like **real** magic! That's so cool!!! I did a magic show once, but you can use real magic!! You think you can teach me? Please? Pretty please???”

The canine could only chuckle at the little one's enthusiasm and her desire to learn. Sadly, the magic she wielded wasn't the kind that could be taught, only inherited. As much as she wouldn't mind there simply was no way how. It was then that Mao Mao spoke up, butting into the conversation. A hearty laugh leaving him.

“Now now, my faithful little deputy. I think our new acquaintance deserves a chance to speak. So, we know you're a spellcaster, but we can't keep calling you that. You have a name?” Mao Mao asked her. The other two were eager to know as well.

From what she had seen, they weren't a bad bunch. They were pretty okay in her book. The fact they were willing to charge in and face a monster well above their size spoke to protect the Ruby Pure Heart volumes of their courage and in her book, that was deemed trustworthy.

“It's only fair, you all told me your names, allow me to tell you mines. My name is Cheryl. Cheryl Alexia, pleased to meet you all.”

“Cheryl Alexia, huh,” Mao Mao mused, repeating the name a few times, committing it to his memory. He didn't know why, but the way her name sounded was just... so soothing. So much so that some part of himself enjoyed saying her name. Letting out a cough, he got himself back under control. “An odd name, but I like it! I also liked the way you handled yourself back there. Not only are you agile and free-flowing, but you can use magic as well. You'd make a great addition to the team.”

“Me? Apart of a team?” Cheryl repeated, taken back by the proposal.

“That's right. Not only are you strong, but we'd also be able to balance out our whole dynamic. With Badgerclops acting as the tank, Adorabat acting as the crowd control and myself being the point man, having a spellcaster would be great for Area-of-Effect coverage. How about it Cheryl? You displayed what it takes to be a sheriff of this Valley. I'll have to start you at the junior deputy level but with hard work and my guidance, you'll a top sheriff in no time!”

Cheryl thought long and hard about. It did sound nice, to be a... sheriff, as Mao Mao put it? It would line up with her initial goal of protecting the Valley and the Pure Heart. Plus, should she ever come up against a monster like the one she fought before, having a team would make things a lot easier on her part while they kept it busy. And on another note, she had a feeling that she could trust the black cat.

Cheryl didn't know why... but she felt like he could be trusted, even though they just met for the first time today.

Just as she was about to give them her answer, Badgerclops interrupted the moment by pointing out something that was very obvious and they had somewhat forgotten.

“Uh, before she answers, Mao,” Badgerclops pointed out while directing their attention back to the caged monster, still trying to break free. “What are we gonna do about this guy?”

“Oh, right. This thing. Hmm, I suppose we can set back out into the wild and let natural selection deal with it.” Mao Mao suggested.

“What?!” Both Adorabat and Cheryl exclaimed at his proposal.

“Well, yeah. It's not able to get to town, now that Cheryl locked it away. We put it back out and if it tries to come back into town, then we take it out. Simple right?”

“Uh, Mao, last time we did it ran off only to come back and attack Farmer Bun's cobbler stash. You sure we should let it go?” Badgerclops replied, concern in his voice. “Do I need to remind you what happened with BoBo-chan?”

“Ha! Don't be silly, Badgerclops. We're the sheriffs of Pure Heart Valley. We can handle any monster that comes our way. Besides, no need to make things even more complicated with clean up duty, right?”

“ _That's not good enough..._ ” The trio was shocked by the words that left Cheryl's mouth. She walked passed them, her eyes locked perfectly on the beast with an intense glare and a slight growl could be heard as she clenched her paws into fists, cracking her knuckles in the process. Stop just before the cage, the others wondered what she meant by that. “I'm completely against letting this thing go. Monsters are _nothing_ but absolute **parasites** that deserve to be put down.”

“Put down... isn't that a bit excessive?” Mao Mao spoke up, not fond of using excessive force unless needed.

“Monsters can't be reasoned with. Monsters act on instincts alone and are deemed a danger to Valley residents and the ruby Pure Heart. And there's only one way to deal with threats. Like so,” With the snap of her fingers, the ring reappeared and was now hovering above her head this time while her arms were extended and she began charging her energy, building up the right amount needed to finish it off. “ _It's time you Burn to Crisp..._ ”

On command, several miniature daggers of flame were conjured, forming an arch above her head. With a simple wave of her paw, the daggers were now circling the burning cage and preparing to strike.

“ _Toast! Burn! And be reduced to ashes, for my soul is ablaze with your Judgment..._ ”

With those words and the raising one of her paws, the flaming daggers flew about the cage and converted into a single point. No longer were there daggers, but rather, a large flame-embalmed sword that was now hovering overhead, hanging over the trapped monster. The trio could only look on at the spectacle but Adorabat's eyes went wide with wonder and excitement, eager to see what would happen next. “ _And this is where we part..._ _Sword of Damocles!!_ ”

Bringing her paw down with a forceful swipe, so too did the flaming sword respond in kind. In a swift action, the sword fell and plunged into the cage and into the monster all the same and upon impact, there was an explosion of a controlled flame, making a massive column of swirling heat and fire. The reaction from it caused a rush of air to push them back, but Cheryl stood firm as she watched it all.

And just fast it happened, the flames dispersed in a burst. Bits and pieces of embers remained and gradually began to fade on the wind until nothing was left. Not even the monster was spared for it was gone.

Taking a step back and letting out a breath of relief, Cheryl could confidently say that she had completed her mission and both the Valley and the Ruby Pure Heart were safe, for now anyway. Turning back around to face the trio, Cheryl nodded with affirmation.

“The monster is no more and my objective is complete. Now, what were you saying about being a... sheriff? As you called it?” Cheryl asked, not taking in the account of their shocked expressions. But Adorabat, on the other hand, was over the moon with what she just witnessed.

“THAT. WAS. SO. COOOOLL!!!!” The little bat zipped over to the canine, flying in circles around her after what just happened, her excitement and joviality clear on display. “With a fire daggers and a giant flaming sword and the explosion!! That was incredible! I've never seen magic like that before! Can I see some more of your magic? Can you do that again? please? Please??”

“I'm glad you enjoyed the show, little one. But this kind of magic is for dealing with monster Not to be used all willy-nilly. That would be extremely dangerous.” Cheryl could see that Adorabat was crestfallen, but was quick to reassure her. “Tell you what, I know a lot of incantations. So the next time a monster shows up, you can pick which one I'll do, okay?”

“REALLY?

“I'll have to tell you what they are later, but I promise. You have my word.” Cheryl replied as the little blue bat would cheer and soar around the area, clearly excited turned her attention back to Mao Mao and Badgerclops but focused mainly on the black cat as a small smile formed on her face.

“Cheryl... that... that was just... wow.”Badgerclops started, still shocked at what he witnessed.

“Didn't mean to make it a spectacle out of it. Just went with the most effective means of eliminating the monster.” Was Cheryl's reply.

“I can understand effective means, but that was a tad... much. From flaming daggers to a giant flaming sword? As cool as that was, It could've gone out of control.” Mao Mao pointed out in a somewhat strict tone. He noticed her ears dropping and her muzzle dip a bit, but was quick to rectify her mood. “T-thankfully, that wasn't the case. It seems that you have pretty good control of your magic. You did good, Cheryl.”

the canine felt her tail wag a mile a minute as she was praised. She found it odd that just a few of his simple words could increase her spirits so easily. However, she didn't dwell on it for too long, she was just glad for his approval.

“T-thanks, I'll make sure to tone it down a notch next time.”

“Glad to hear it. Now, since we're on the subject. We'll escort you back to our headquarters. There, we'll get you set up as our junior deputy.”

“That means-”

“Yep, welcome to the team, Cheryl. Now that you're on board, you'll have to work your way up to official sheriff. Adorabat already has some experience under her belt, but with hard work and dedication you'll climb the ranks in no time.”

“Well, I look forward to working with you all!” the canine replied, eager to get started on her work.

“Excellent! Now with everything settled, I believe we're done for the day. Let's head back.” Putting his fingers to mouth, Mao Mao whistled a tune and on command, a vehicle could be heard. In a matter of seconds flew out of the sky and landed right in front of him. Cheryl was surprised at this but Mao Mao and the others simply hopped onto it, strange objects covering their heads along with glass showing their faces.

“Alright, hop on. This will get us back in a matter of minutes.”

“...Is it safe?” Cheryl asked, clearly skeptical of this thing.

“Of course it's safe! I'm an excellent driver. Trust me, while I'm driving, you'll never feel safer. Just hop on and we can get going.”

Cheryl continued to only stare at it, but if Mao Mao said it was fine, then she'd believe him. She didn't have a reason not to. “Alright, if you say so, I trust you.”

Following their lead, she walked over to the vehicle and without thinking twice, Cheryl ended up pushing herself into the front spot of Mao Mao and right into his lap. Needless to say, that heated up the cat's cheek real quick as he allowed this all to happen, unable to utter a single word. Once she was settled, the canine looked directly into his eyes and smiled once more.

“Okay, I'm ready... Mao Mao? What's wrong?” Cheryl asked as she cocked her head to the side in confusion.

“Oh! Uh.. *ahem* w-when I said hop on, I-I didn't mean directly in front of me. Perhaps b-behind Badgerclops?” Mao Mao chuckled as he tried to explain himself without making it awkward. Cheryl was easily able to read the situation was quick to respond, preparing herself to move.

“Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just not used to riding on something like this. Did you want me to move? Would it be a problem if I stayed here?”

“No! No no no, it's fine. Really. I just didn't expect this to happen. Since it's your first time riding this, I'll allow it, just this once. It'll give you a chance to see how it works. So, just hold on to me as we go. The jump can a bit intense for first-timers. Don't worry, you'll adapt. We'll also have to get you a helmet as well.” Tapping the mic, Mao Mao called out to his friends, alerting them of their imminent departure. “Everyone ready?”

“I'm always ready. Let's get going already, I got shows and snacks calling my name.” Badgerclops sounded off, earning a groan from Mao Mao.

“All good here! Let's get going!” Adorabat chimed in as she held onto Badgerclops's shoulder.

“Alright, Deputies. Let's head home.” Revving the aerocycle to life with a few twists of the handlebar and kicks to the ignition, the machine stirred and with a boost of power, the exhaust flared and flames shot out as they jumped into the skies. The sudden reaction of such of thing caused Cheryl to let out a slight yelp as she leaned into Mao Mao for support, steadying herself from the force. It went without saying that his cheeks flared even more, but he could only chuckle, thinking back to the first time he remembered such an experience.

“As I said, the first time's always the hardest. Don't worry, it gets easier every time.” Mao Mao spoke to her, trying to calm her down.

“I can only hope I can get used to this.” Was her reply, eyes still clenched shut.

“You will, I promise.” was his reply, focusing on the driving.

As the ground left them just as fast, the three of them all soared back into Pure Heart Valley, with their newest sheriff to be, in tow.

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Here's what Cheryl Alexia looks like if you all were curious... And yes, I did draw her**

**Author's Note:**

> And that's that for chapter one. How did I do?  
> I'll develop Cheryl more as I keep this going along.  
> This one is going to be a slow story as I plan to flesh this all out.
> 
> Please leave your honesty, constructive critique, it'll help me more to do better.
> 
> Like  
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> and Comment.
> 
> See you all next chapter.


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